Ripples (a McRoll in the REAL World story)
by sammy1026
Summary: Catherine, Steve and Angie attend a special dinner.


_Mari & Ilna-you guys are the absolute best! Thank you for everything!_

_REAL Worlders-you guys are awesome. Thanks for all the support and encouragement._

_Additional ANs at the end of the story._

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**Ripples (1/1)**

"Daddy see. Pi-tty." Angie pointed at the triangular shaped sconces adorning the walls of the Manoa Grand Ballroom.

"I see." Steve smiled. It was the first time Angie had ever accompanied them to one of Catherine's official evening work events and she was loving every minute of it so far.

Tonight's dinner was to honor the first ever recipient of the newly created Horizon award. Lea and Catherine had worked very hard for two years to expand access to mental health services to all of the state's residents, and to make sure those services remained available even after standard insurance ran out. The new program was a triumph of bi partisanship that both women were rightfully very proud of. The Horizon award had been established to honor someone whose life has been positively affected by the expanded access to services.

When Catherine told him earlier in the week that Lea had suggested Angie come along Steve was a little confused. When Lea reached out to him personally the next day to reiterate the invitation his curiosity was piqued. The governor hadn't revealed any specific reason for wanting Angie there. She simply said it was going to be a special evening and that down the road they'd be glad Angie had had a chance to witness it.

Immediately after dinner Catherine had slipped off for a few minutes to talk to Senator Pearl Tanaka who had been instrumental in helping shepherd the new programs through the senate. As she made her way back towards their table Angie spotted her and called "Mommy!" in what was definitely her outside voice, much to the delight of their table mates who had been completely charmed by the toddler during the obligatory rubber chicken dinner.

"Everything okay?" Steve asked as Catherine retook her seat.

"Fine. The speeches are about to start." She reached into her purse and pulled out a cookie, Angie's eyes lit up and she made a grabby hands gesture immediately. "I was worried what might happen if she got bored during the speeches," she explained. "I'm hoping a few cookies might keep her distracted."

Steve grinned. "Excellent plan."

After introductory remarks from Lea Kekoa and Lewai Ulani, the man who headed the new program, the night's honoree stepped to the microphone.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Jackson Malana." The man took a deep fortifying breath and plunged forward. "A little over two years ago, March 10, 2017, I had a plan. I was going to kill my wife and our three children, then kill myself. The voices in my head convinced me it was the best thing for all of us. That they were better off not living another day in the mess I had created, and I had no desire to live without them."

"Just a week earlier I'd lost yet another job," he explained. "I was fired for a completely unprovoked attack on a coworker. It wasn't the first time. But this time the consequences were far more serious. I was arrested and charged with aggravated assault. I managed to bond myself out without telling my wife, but the money I used was earmarked to pay the mortgage, which was already seriously delinquent. If that payment wasn't made by Friday, the house was going to go into foreclosure. We'd be out on the street. The voices in my head, which I'd heard on and off over many years, told me that killing my family was the only way out. They repeated it over and over until I believed it."

You could have heard a pin drop as he continued.

"I left the house on Friday morning as though I was going to work as usual. Somehow, I had managed to keep the news of the firing and arrest a secret from my family. I spent the day sitting in the park going over and over the murder plan in my head. Around 4:00 I made a quick trip to the hardware store for supplies. When the clerk handed me my change, I looked at the $10 bill in my hand and had one overwhelming thought. I wouldn't be needing money after tonight. I decided to stop at the grocery store and get the kids' favorite kind of ice cream so we could have one more nice experience before I ended their lives."

"It's funny how a simple decision can create ripples that change the world."

"As I stood in the freezer aisle at the store muttering to myself, trying to remember if their favorite flavor was peanut butter swirl or butter pecan, a woman approached me. She had the kindest eyes. For weeks afterwards all I could remember about her was her kind eyes. She asked if I was ok and I said I was fine. I grabbed a carton of butter pecan and closed the door of the freezer. I tried to move passed her towards the checkouts, but she blocked my path. Not aggressively. She just kind of … wouldn't let me go. She smiled softly and introduced herself. Her name was Helene Akanu. She took my arm and led me to a less crowded area of the store. The whole time she just kept talking. Telling me about her family. About her own children. About her late husband."

He smiled.

"Looking back, I realize she saw something familiar in my eyes. Something she'd seen in the eyes of the man she loved. She knew something bad was about to happen and she was willing to do everything in her power to stop it. You see Helene Akanu had just been released from prison the previous day. She'd served 15 years for killing her husband."

Steve and Catherine's eyes met. They'd both become very familiar with Helen Akanu's case two years earlier.

"She talked to me about her late husband Keao, as I stood there with a softening container of ice cream in my hand. She told me about how he heard voices. About how he was a good man when he had the proper medication but how when he didn't, he turned violent. She told me that on one fateful night, when she had no other choice, she'd taken his life. And how every day since it happened, she wished she'd been able to find another way. Wished he'd been able to get the help he needed. Because the only thing that you can't come back from, the only thing that isn't fixable, is death. She told me she was glad she met me and how it must have been fate because she had decided just a few minutes earlier to stop at the store and grab a few things."

"It's funny how a simple decision can create ripples that can change the world."

He pointed to a woman sitting at a table right in front of the podium.

"I'm very happy that Helene could be here with us tonight."

The audience applauded loudly.

"She is a hero in my eyes and in the eyes of my family. She saved all of our lives that night. She convinced me I needed to go to the hospital. That I needed to talk to someone before I did something that couldn't be taken back. I never told her what my plan was." He smiled at Helene. "I didn't have to. She saw it in my eyes. And in hers I saw nothing but kindness."

"She went with me to the hospital that night. She made sure I got checked in. Then she called my wife, Hannah, and told her what was going on. I didn't know it at the time, but she became a true support system for Hannah over the next few months. Someone who understood what she'd been living through. Someone she could talk to and lean on."

"As for me, my insurance ran out after 30 days but because of the new expanded services that had been put in place by Governor Kekoa I was able to remain in in-patient treatment and get the help I needed. The PA agreed to drop the assault charges, with my ex-coworker's blessing, since I was getting help. It was six months before my doctors and I felt that I was ready to be released. Six more months after that before Hannah and I felt comfortable with the idea of me moving back home. None of which would have ever been possible had I not been able to stay in the hospital and work with my doctor to find the right treatment plan and the right medications to manage my condition. Without expanded access I would not be standing here before you tonight."

He paused and waited for the applause to die down.

"About a week after I returned home, we invited Helene Akanu over for dinner. Somehow the topic of conversation turned to that night in the grocery. I thanked her for saving my life, and the lives of my family, and she told me she wasn't the person I should be thanking. She told me how she had filed a clemency petition with the previous administration three times, and it had been refused each time. She told me how she had decided she wouldn't bother filing another one after Governor Kekoa took office because she didn't want to deal with the disappointment of being rejected again. When her lawyers and her family finally prevailed upon her to submit the necessary paperwork, she did so not expecting a positive result."

"But this time was different. This time her mother and Keao's mother, who were acting as her representatives, were offered a meeting with the attorney general. The day before they were scheduled to meet the AG had to cancel so they were given the chance to talk to the governor's chief of staff instead."

"It's funny how a simple decision can create ripples that can change the world."

"They went to the meeting and reported back that it had been productive. That for the very first time in a very long process they felt that they had been heard. That the woman they met with had truly listened to their story. That woman's name was," he pointed a table off to his left, "Lieutenant Catherine Rollins."

Steve beamed with pride. Angie, though she couldn't understand exactly what was being said, seemed to sense the importance of the moment and clapped softly.

"Over the next few weeks Lieutenant Rollins called several times seeking additional information. Three weeks later she let Helene know she planned on recommending clemency to the governor. I should let Helene speak for herself, but I will say that she told me that night was the most hope she'd ever had that she might get out of prison someday. She'd done her own research and found out that Lieutenant Rollins not only had a background in naval intelligence but also had extensive experience as an investigator. She thought that the support of a person like that would definitely help her case." He smiled brightly. "And it did. Two weeks later Helene received word that her clemency petition had been approved. Her release date was set as March 15, 2017."

"As you may remember my plan was to kill my family on March 10th. So how did Helene Akanu, who wasn't scheduled to be released from prison until a week later, come to save all our lives? Well as it turns out Lieutenant Rollins realized that Helene's eldest daughter had a birthday on March 10th and she personally lobbied the clemency board to move the release date up so that Helene could be home for her daughter's birthday."

"It's funny how a simple decision can create ripples that can change the world."

Catherine's smiled at Jackson Malana. She'd checked up on Helene's progress several times in the years since her release but had never heard this story before.

"I'd like to invite my wife Hannah to come up here along with our three children, Carmen, Sophie and JJ. I'd also like my parents Rich and Maria to join us as well."

He greeted each of them with a hug as they made their way to the stage.

"When we sat down and talked about what tonight might be like it quickly became apparent that we were all thinking the same thing. I am honored to have been chosen to receive this award. My family is honored as well. But we all know that we wouldn't be here without the help of many others. Governor Kekoa, Mr. Ulani, all of the doctors and nurses who treated me along the way, our friends and family who offered support, and of course Helene Akanu, who we can never thank enough. But we all agree that this moment would never have been possible without one woman who listened and who cared. And in the end whose belief that Helene Akanu should be able to celebrate her daughter's birthday in person set in motion a chain of events that saved five lives."

"It's funny how a simple decision can create ripples that can change the world."

"It would be my honor, and my family's honor, to present this award to Lieutenant Catherine Rollins and we would be thrilled if you'd join us here on stage."

Catherine hesitated. She looked at Steve who smiled encouragingly and nodded towards the stage. A few seconds later she found herself wrapped in the embrace of the entire Malana family. As the audience cheered, she heard several unmistakable voices in the crowd. She turned to see her parents, her grandmother, the Allens, Carrie and John, Chin and Kono, Danny, Gabby and Grace, and Esther and Kamekona.

"I know what it feels like to be proud of your child," Maria Malana whispered in her ear. "I asked the governor to make sure your family and friends were here tonight."

"Thank you," Catherine choked out around the lump in her throat.

As Jackson handed Catherine the glass statue engraved with his name he looked out at the crowd. "It is my sincerest wish, and that of my family, that each of us goes back out in our everyday lives and creates ripples whenever possible. Together we can change the world."

**THE END**

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_This story is a follow up to my earlier stories A Deep Abyss and Lemons from Lemonade._

_If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health issues, please know there is help available. If the situation is critical call 911 immediately. Otherwise reach out to your local mental health facility or call the NAMI hotline at 1-800-950-NAMI for assistance. Don't suffer, or let loved ones suffer, in silence._

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_Find all our stories (in chronological order!) on our website: marirealmcroll dot wixsite dot com backslash real-mcroll_

_Or in the McRoll in the REAL World community here on fanfiction dot net Find us on Tumblr: mcrollintherealworld dot tumblr dot com_

_You can join our mailing list by emailing us realmcroll at yahoo dot com with: Add me, please! in the subject line. Or just drop us a line to say hi! We love hearing from our readers._


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